Col de la Saume, Tête du Tourneau as seen from the village of Le Noyer

Between Gap and Corps, from the Route Napoléon (N85), take the D17 or the D617 to the village of Le Noyer. Park in the church car park, near the Maison de la Botanique Dominique Villars.

(S/E) From the fountain, take the Dominique Villars Botanical Trail (signposted) above the church, towards Saint-Étienne-de-Dévoluy. The path heads straight west and climbs very steeply for the first two kilometres. You will reach the road leading up to the Col du Noyer.

(1) Cross the road with care and continue along the botanical trail opposite, heading west, until you rejoin the Route du Col. 

(2) Cross the road with care and continue along the botanical trail opposite, which joins the road once more. 

(3) Head up to the right and follow the roadwith care until you reach the hairpin bend.

(4) Leave the road and take the GR®93 path on the right towards the Col de la Saume (Vercors Crossing). The path runs along the mountainside and there is little shade. Caution is advised for those with a fear of heights and for children: the path is narrow and the ravine is quite steep.

(5) At the pass, take the path on the left, heading south-east. Leave the GR®93 to climb up the ridges along a well-marked track, signposted with markings and cairns, to the summit of the Tête du Tourneau. 

(6) Continue to follow the markings downwards, heading west. Caution: the descent is quite steep. Join a path that winds down the hillside, heading south-east, to reach the Col du Noyer mountain hut (car park).

(7) Crosswith care and take the path that descends alongside the road, this time heading downhill. Follow it carefully until the third hairpin bend, where you’ll rejoin the Dominique Villars Botanical Trail that you took on the way up.

(4) Follow it to the right, in the opposite direction to the way up, to continue the descent.

(3) Carry on straight ahead until the next hairpin bend.

(8) Leave the road and take the GR®93 path opposite, heading south-west: look for the wooden sign marked ‘Sentier D.Villars’. Ignore the path leading down to the left and carry on straight ahead, crossing the Torrent de Font Blanche.

(9) Head down to the left to continue along the botanical trail, following the stream.

(10) Continue along the path straight ahead, ignoring the small path on the right, until you reach a wider track.

(11) Follow the track to the left until you reach the Route du Col.

(12)Carefully walk up the road to the left until you reach the first junction on the route.

(1) Turn right, heading in the opposite direction to the outward journey, to return to the car park (S/E). 

There is a water source on the climb up to Col la Saume, just after a large hairpin bend (5 minutes before the pass).

At the Col du Noyer, in addition to the orientation board, a bar-restaurant is open in the former Napoléon refuge during the summer season.

Please note that the Route du Col is closed during the winter months.

The Dominique Villars botanical trail, lined with information boards, offers the chance to discover the remarkable diversity of the Champsaur’s vegetation. Scots pines, firs and beech trees grow alongside meadows and flower-filled lawns. The young Dominique Villars used to walk here long before he became a doctor and a botanist recognised by his peers in the 19th century.
You can visit the ‘La Maison de la Botanique’ eco-museum in the heart of the small village of Le Noyer.

The Tête du Tourneau is a pyramid-shaped peak that can be spotted from afar. It offers a magnificent panoramic view of the Champsaur, the Écrins and the Dévoluy.

Easier alternative: to avoid the climb up to the Tête du Tourneau and its somewhat steep descent, you can go via the Combe de Saume from the Col de Saume (5), where you continue the descent opposite, heading south-west. At the junction after 1 km, turn left and follow the path which joins the track further on. Pass close to a hut and arrive at the RD17. Follow it to the left to climb up to the Col du Noyer: elevation gain 750 m, total time 5 hours.